Chapter 58
Amara thought for a moment and then confessed, “I was just having dinner with a friend from the film crew, but he had to leave suddenly, so I continued on my own.
My friend’s an acting artist, and has to keep the social connections under wraps. I didn’t want others to know about us, so I lied without thinking.”
Her tone was sincere, and her explanation seemed reasonable enough, but Finnian sensed something was off. He narrowed his eyes and asked, “So your friend is a man?”
Amara initially wanted to say it was a female friend, thinking it would cause less fuss. But then she recalled something–how had Finnian found her place so accurately? Did he know something she didn’t?
With this in mind, she decided not to lie and responded while nodding, “Yes.”
Then she shifted her tone, demanding, “How did you know I live here?”
“I had Will look it up,” Finnian replied, his voice calm and matter–of–fact, as if he saw nothing wrong with his actions. “I need to ensure your safety.”
Amara pressed her lips. It wasn’t her safety Finnian was looking out for–it was probably Kevin’s concern.
“Are you going to continue with the meal?”
Finnian, feeling a bit guilty, tried to change the subject. He turned and glanced at the dishes in front of them and asked.
Amara nodded, and Finnian said, “Can I join you? I’m hungry.”
Amara was taken aback. “You want to dine with me?”
“Yes,” Finnian replied, meeting her gaze. “Is that a problem?”
“No, that’s fine. I’ll get you some fresh cutlery, hang on.”
Amara headed to the kitchen, puzzled as to why Finnian wanted to join her for dinner. But if he wanted to eat,
so be it.
As he watched her retreat, Finnian’s gaze darkened slightly. For some reason, he found Amara’s cooking to have a special allure, something that occasionally crossed his mind.
It wasn’t as if her culinary skills matched those of a five–star restaurant chef–he didn’t crave those meals half as much. So why was he so taken with Amara’s cooking?
Amara soon returned, handing Finnian the cutlery, explaining the name of each dish.
Finnian slowly began to eat, his movements precise and unhurried, soon making his way through half a bowl. He glanced at the mask covering Amara’s face. “Aren’t you eating?”
“No, I’m good,” Amara shook her head. “I’m almost full, and it’s better to eat light at night anyway.”
Finnian could tell it was a flimsy excuse. Hence, he asked, “Do you take your mask off when you’re with your friend?”
Amara had clearly removed her mask while dining with her friend earlier, yet now it seemed permanently affixed to her face. Finnian couldn’t help but feel a twinge of discomfort.
“Yes.”
Amara nodded, prompting Finnian to ask, “Then why not with me?”
The question caught Amara off guard. After a moment, she said, “I might scare you.”
Before her facial reconstruction, two vivid scars marred her face, and they were quite frightening–a sight making children cry upon seeing her before.
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Finnian set down his cutlery and looked into her eyes. “I’m not afraid.”
To Amara, it sounded like a platitude, so she lowered her gaze and said nothing. Realizing the sensitivity of the topic, Finnian didn’t push further.
The meal wrapped up quickly, and within less than ten minutes, Finnian was on his way out. He figured if he stayed any longer, Amara might end up starving.
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Chapter 59
